A Short History of the Pinellas County Trail System:

• 1888 The Orange Belt Railway arrives in St. Petersburg
• 1983 Railroad right-of-way purchased by Florida Department of Transportation
• 1984 Pinellas Bicycle Advisory Committee proposes using the right-of-way as a bike route.
• 1988 Pinellas Trails Inc. forms, expands the idea to a linear park and promotes public support.
• 1989 The Pinellas Trail Project is approved by the Board of County Commissioners and they allocate $ 1.5 million to build a 15 miles segment. County voters approve the Penney-for-Pinellas sales tax referendum with funding to complete 35 miles of trail.
• 1990 Two Trail preview sites are built near Seminole City Park and at Curlew Road and Alt. 19 in Dunedin. Five miles of the Pinellas Trail from Taylor Park to Seminole City Park are completed on December 1st.
• 1991 The first Trail overpass opens over Ulmerton Road, Largo.
• 1992 Trail from Taylor Park to Ozona opens. The West Bay Drive overpass in Largo is completed.
• 1993 Trail from Seminole City Park to St. Petersburg opens. The Trail overpass at Orange Street and Alt. U.S. 19 opens.
• 1994 St. Petersburg and Tarpon Springs sections of the Trail open.
• 1996 Park Boulevard overpass opens in Seminole.
• 1997 Seminole Boulevard and 113th overpasses in Seminole open. The downtown Clearwater section opens and construction on the Cross Bayou Bridge begins.
• 1999 The Friendship Trail Bridge (old Gandy Bridge) linking Pinellas County and Hillsborough County opens.
• 2000 Cross Bayou Bridge opens in Seminole.
• 2001 Park Street overpass near Tyrone Boulevard opens.
• 2002 Central Avenue, 1st Avenue South and Pasadena Avenue overpass opens.
• 2003 Pinellas Trail designated as a National Recreation Trail in the National Trails System by United States Department of Interior, National Park Service.
• 2004 Historical sculptures mark cities along the Trail
  - Elfers Spur over Anclote River open to North Anclote River Nature Park
  - 38th Avenue overpass open
• 2005 Pinellas Trail 15th Anniversary
  - Abandoned railroad section purchased for Trail Extension into downtown St. Petersburg
• 2006 Jasmine Section open (under US 19 to Keystone Rd)
• 2007 Rio Vista Connection open in NE St. Petersburg
  - St. Petersburg begins construction of Downtown Trail Extension
  - Progress Energy Trail Groundbreaking for first section (Bright House Field to Belleair Rd)
• 2008 BCC agrees to plans for Pinellas Trail Loop to connect Pinellas Trail from downtown St. Petersburg to the East Lake Tarpon
  - Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail inducted into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame